Survey rod holder



April'Z9, 1969 E. w. FROST SURVEY ROD HOLDER Filed March 29, 1967 m/aE/vraz United States Patent 3,441,239 SURVEY ROD HOLDER Evert W. Frost,914 1st Ave., Nebraska City, Nebr. 68410 Filed Mar. 29, 1967, Ser. No.626,828 Int. Cl. A47g 33/12, 25/12, 29/00; A01k 97/10 U.S. Cl. 248-44 1Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for holding a survey rod in anupstanding position, the device including a vertical rod having a lowerend pointed so as to be readily received into the ground, the rod havingan upper and lower clamp for securing a survey rod thereto andadditionally having a foot rest along one side for purpose of allowingan operator to push the device with his foot into the ground whereverthe ground is too hard for pushing the device by the hands alone.

This invention relates generally to surveying equipment. Morespecifically it relates to survey rods and supporting devices for surveyrods.

It is generally well known to those skilled in the art when a survey ismade across a terrain that it usually requires two men, one of whichoperates a transit and the other is used to hold upright a survey rodwhich is graduated along its length. In many instances, the surveyor isforced to accomplish the work alone without the aid of a second man forholding the survey rod. In such cases, the surveyor will attempt tosupport the survey rod in an upright manner upon the ground by employingstones or any other material to keep the survey rod upright, or he maylean it against a tree or even an automobile. This situation however isof course objectionable and accordingly in need of improvement.

Accordingly there is a principal object of the present invention toprovide a holder for a survey rod which will support a survey rod inupright position without the necessity of employing a second man.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a survey rodholder having means for being supported within the ground.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a survey rodholder having a foot rest so as to allow an operator to force the devicewith his foot into the ground so as to provide stability to the devicefor supporting a survey rod.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a survey rodholder having a pair of spaced apart clamps so as to secure a survey rodthereto at a selected elevation respective thereto.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a survey rodholder which is simple in design, and inexpensive to manufacture, ruggedin construction, easy to use and eflicient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of thefollowing specifications and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a prespective view of the present invention shown inoperative use,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view and shown partly in cross-section asviewed along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral representsa survey rod holder of the present invention wherein there is anelongated post 11 of circular cross-sectional configuration and whichhas a lower end 12 that is tapered to a point so that the same may beeasily introduced into a ground 13.

Patented Apr. 29, 1969 A clamp 14 is secured at the upper end of thepost 11 and a lower clamp 15 is secured at an intermediate point betweenthe opposite ends of the post, the lower clamp being located adjacentthe base of the tapered end 12.

Each of the clamps 14 and 15 comprise a generally U-shaped frame rigidlyafiixed to the post 11, each frame 16 enclosing a central opening 17into which a survey rod 18 may be inserted. A threaded opening 19 in theframe 16 receives a tightening screw 20 which is adopted to bearpressure against the side of the survey rod and thus hold the samesecurely to the holder.

It is to be noted that the clamps 14 and 15 are in vertical alignmenttherebetween so that the survey rod may be introduced into both of theclamps.

A foot rest 21 is secured to one side of the post 11 and provides ameans for an operator to place his foot thereupon to assist him forinserting the device into the ground 13.

In operative use, the device is made to stand upright by inserting thetapered end 12 into the ground 13, as shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawingand the tightening or pressure screws 20 being outwardly moved to allowinsertion of a survey rod 18 into the openings 17 of each of the clamps14 and 15, after which the pressure screws 20 are clamped tightlyagainst the side of the survey rod 18, thus securing a rod in astationary vertical position so that the same may be read by an engineerat a transit located some distance away. It is to be noted that if thedevice may not be inserted its full tapered distance into a ground, thatthe clamps will permit the survey rod to be accordingly adjusted so thatthe lower end thereof engages the ground surface and thereby provide acorrect reading. It is to be further understood that a measuringbreakdown may be painted upon a front side of the clamps so as toprovide a reading in the vicinity where the survey rod is covered by theclamp frame.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it is tobe understood that such changes will be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

I claim:

1. In a survey rod holder, the combination of a post of elongatedconfiguration, said post having a lower end that is tapered toward apoint to allow easy insertion of said end into a ground, and said posthaving a pair of spaced apart clamps secured thereto, said clamps beingin longitudinal alignment with each other for purpose of securing asurvey rod thereto, each of said clamps comprising a generally U-shapedframe rigidly secured to said post, a threaded opening in a side of saidframe, a pressure screw threadingly engaged with said threaded opening,and each of said frames encircling a central space into which saidsurvey rod is introduced, a footrest being secured to one side of saidpost, said footrest providing a means to allow a person to push thelower end of said post into the ground by using his foot, said footrestbeing positioned at an elevation between said clamps, whereby a lower ofsaid clamps serves as a stop against a ground surface when insertingsaid post into the ground.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,559,302 7/1951 Louft 248-156 XFOREIGN PATENTS 13,150 5/1897 Great Britain.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.=R. 248-l21, 15 6

